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One strong example of a New York based social justice artist is Kara Walker, whose work directly confronts the history of racism, slavery, and the representation of Black bodies in America. Her most popular art piece is called “A Subtlety”, made in 2014, at the abandoned Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn. This installation featured a massive, 35 foot tall, sphinx like figure covered in white sugar representing both the purity associated with sugar and the exploitation behind the sugar industry. Around the room, there were smaller sculptures of children carrying baskets, their forms melting and collapsing from the heat, symbolizing the brutal labor of enslaved people who helped build the wealth of industries like sugar production. She used the entire factory space as part of the message, the sticky smell, the decaying walls, and the sugar dust in the air, all reminded the viewers that history isn’t distant, it’s something you can still feel. Her installation was a way for people to confront the connection between consumer goods, racism and the bodies that paid the price for them. Walker uses her art as a way to expose the realities that are usually hidden or softened in textbooks and museums. Her art exposes reality with raw honesty that refuses to be softened or simplified.

James Yaya Hough’s 3 panels of colored glass art pieces became part of Battery Park’s art collection. Each 3 of the panels represent different topics connected to the carceral system. He’s using his art to address this issue in social injustice. He’s trying to share a message of a future with a reformed carceral system through the use of bright colors amongst sad images. They are on the Esplanade Plaza Wall because it’s a very open and accessible place. This is part of the Battery Park Authority’s permanent collection and it’s a great example of how art is used to display social injustice issues. -Jacqueline Cohen

This powerful photographic series confronts Islamophobia by challenging how Muslim women are portrayed in Western culture. Neshats photographs Muslim women in black and white, then overlays their skin with handwritten Persian poetry about identity, loss, and resilience. By merging the body with literature, she reveals the inner voices that are often ignored or silenced. The work directly responds to the way Muslim women are reduced to political symbols and misunderstood through fear based narratives. Shown at MoMA, the series uses art as a form of social justice, reclaiming representation, correcting stereotypes, and insisting on the complexity, strength, and humanity of Muslim women.

Juan Sánchez is a perfect example of an artist who has shown their work in New York City that addressed issues of social justice. He is commonly referred to as a “Nuyorican” (New York/Puerto Rican) artist, who’s work addresses issues of Puerto Rican life in the U.S. He was born and raised in Brooklyn and is the son of two Puerto Rican immigrants. Shown below is “Escrito en Piedra,” from “Guariquen: Images and Words Rican/Structured.” Here, according to the MET website, he evokes the legacy of the Taíno (Indigenous peoples who lived in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean lands) and their culture.

“Political art is a medium used as a weapon to hopefully recapture or regain the positive energy of celebration—to regain the goodness of humanity.” – Sánchez

Dread Scott makes art that talks about racism, unfair treatment by police, and what it really means to be an American. His famous artwork, What Is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?, lets people walk on a flag so they can write their opinion in a book above it. A lot of people got upset because the artwork showed the difference between what the flag is supposed to stand for and how many Black Americans are treated in real life. By making people actually step on the flag to take part in the artwork, Scott makes everyone think about what freedom, fairness, and patriotism really mean. His piece was shown in New York, and it shows how art can make people face uncomfortable truths about our country. It is displayed at the Whitney Museum in NYC.

An example of an artist who has shown their work in New York City that has addressed issues of social justice is black female artist and activist Augusta Savage (1892-1962). One of her works was a sculpture called The Harp, which was inspired by the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and also originally named after the song. The Harp was commissioned for the New York World’s Fair in 1939 and destroyed shortly after it was open to the public because of lack of  funding. The significance of The Harp is that it represents black resilience and liberation. The 12 African American singers that make up this structure represent the strings of a harp that symbolize the strength and unity of the black community. The exaggerated heights of the children also symbolize a brighter future and metaphorical heights that can be reached through liberation (“The Harp – the Body Is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists”).  

“The Harp – the Body Is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists.” The Body Is Memory: An Exhibition of Black Women Artists, sites.smith.edu/afr111-f19/the-harp/.

– Emmanuella Bentil

Hank Willis Thomas is a New York based artist who addresses social injustice through photography and sculptures. An example is his public art project called “The Truth Is I See You” which placed short and thought provoking messages in everyday city spaces to encourage to think about equality, empathy and how we see each other. He frequently uses historical and media images to question how race, power, and representation shape American culture, making his work a strong example of art used for social injustice in NYC.